Misunderstanding? You Must Be Joking
by LibraMoon
Summary: Amanda didn't like Vulcans, and Sarek is logically clueless, the result? James Kirk was not the first Vulcan bride. Companion piece to 'What Part of No Did You Not Understand'. Rated M for language Oneshot SxA


_**Sorry, it got stuck in my head after it was requested by Dolphindreamer! Who also did the beta work! Thanks again!**_

_**SarekxAmanda back story. I own nothing. Most likely not suitable for work… for any of you that have read my previous works, this really should not be surprising.**_

OoOoOo

Amanda didn't like Vulcans. They were stereotypical elf-people and quite frankly, they irritated her to no end. Their tendency to act like indulgent parents to spoiled children-that being her species-, just so happened to grate on her nerves. So it had been an obvious decision to join the TerraGenTech Corporation as an intern. Granted, the pay was abysmal, and she didn't even really want to go to Vulcan, but it would help her people get in better with the galactic market.

And _that_ mattered to Amanda a great deal.

She didn't hate Vulcans, no, she simply found their superiority to be scoff and scowl worthy. She also wasn't too keen that they constantly had a blank expression on their faces. It had creeped her out more than the late 21stcentury 'zombie' movies. Why humans had ever thought the world was going to be overtaken by undead, Amanda could not even begin to comprehend, but the idea had a sort of morbidity to it that caused her take a double glance at every Vulcan she passed.

Because, honestly, the green flesh was eerily similar, and she really wasn't one given to flights of fantasy.

Her consideration for TerraGenTech had been pondered over for about a month. Her college 'education' had come with a large heaping of student loans, which had come banging on her door to be paid. And, as far as entry-level salaries went, they were competitive as far as being paid almost nothing was concerned. She had seen them campaigning for 'new red blood' against the 'unfair' polices of the Vulcans who had refused outright to invest in Earth and her affiliated markets because they were too 'inexperienced' in the ways of the galaxy.

Amanda did not hold that argument in high regard because the human race as a whole would have been more experienced had the Vulcans gotten off their cat-like cans and helped humans. But, _oh no_, that would be interfering and Vulcans were a peaceful race that didn't believe in influencing the outcome of a species… blah blah blah. That ineffectual rage for their lack luster way of rejecting them and leaving their so called 'allies' to the wolves. It was this that, had led to Amanda taking the first transport to Vulcan she could afford.

It had taken a month or so on her measly salary after expenses, but she had done it by God.

She pushed her hair out of her eyes as the shuttle she was riding into the Vulcan capital lurched to a halt. Herself and 400 or so other humans began to disembark from their perches. With luck she would be able to find her way to the TerraGenTech building by following the others. The few belongings she had packed, as per the company's instructions, were secured tightly in her hands. At the very least she would not have to worry about committing a social taboo, because she lacked the appropriate appendages to do so. She watched in mute boredom as the people began to file out into the desert sand.

With a grim smile she jumped off of the shuttle as gracefully as she could manage, and with a look of annoyance she realized that she wasn't a fan of sand. Her feet became bogged down in the shifting surface that lacked the proper tension to walk upon. Amanda puffed the few strands of hair out of her face as a small gust blew. Her smile faded and was replaced by a frown.

'_Sand_,' she thought without amusement, '_sand, and oh look… more sand. How long did I agree to stay here again?_'

The neutral face of the very people she came to 'fight' blinked into view as a large screen on the side of the shuttle flickered to life.

"We welcome thee to Vulcan. The current temperature is 49 degrees Celsius and the nearest transport is approximately a 20.489 minute walk from this exact location. Live long and prosper."

Amanda gawked up at the screen in disbelief. 'Twenty minutes in the hotter than hell weather?' Her mind hunkered down on some rather unfriendly, cut accurate, words she wished to use to describe what she thought of their system.

Vulcan was already quickly topping her 'shit' list, and she was certain they did this on purpose.

She narrowed her eyes, mostly to keep the blasted sand out and began to trudge along with the other humans through the unbelievably hot desert.

'_Forty-nine degrees Celsius… that's like what? 120-ish degrees Fahrenheit, right_?' Amanda tried to puzzle out the proper conversion, but it had been ages since her last science class, and for crying out loud why was this damn planet _baking?_

OoOoOo

Well. She wasn't one for mass rioting, although the 3,000 human hand holding had been as close to a public orgy as the planet Vulcan had ever seen. In spite of how childish it might have seemed, Amanda had rather enjoyed it. All the blank faces… trying so _hard_ not to stare at the inter-laced hands, had been hilarious. Every pair of inky-black eyes had zeroed in on the joined appendages before flushing a slightly darker green.

And they said Vulcan's didn't blush.

So due to the fact she was unwilling to participate in the regular 'peace' protests over lack of Vulcan funding for Earth corporations, Amanda still had a role to play. If she were given the chance to say it, she could be quite the antagonist.

It was a gift, really.

Thus, she and four others had agreed to venture into the few businesses and government buildings where TerraGeneTech had _not_ been legally banned from. And, that was also why it only required the five of them. Amanda grinned to herself as she stood outside the white-washed and gleaming walls of the Terran/Vulcan Embassy.

She had really been looking forward to this. No kidding, they had even drawn straws over who got to pester their dear Vulcan friends in such a prestigious place. Amanda had won, naturally, and gloated over it for half an hour. Now, as she stood before the doors leading inside, she gripped the sack holding her food a little tighter.

Wouldn't they be in for a treat? Amanda straightened her posture, because all Vulcans seemed to carry something packed away in their back compartment that made them stand ramrod straight, and she was not going to be out done. There were standards for this sort of thing after all!

She took a deep breath and willed herself not to chicken out. With a cocky swagger she truly didn't feel, Amanda marched into the main area. Nervously, she glanced about and was surprised to find very few humans present.

'_I shouldn't be surprised, lord knows they never did Earth any favors. Why should they care about equality_?' There was a touch of amusement to her dry humor.

With self-assurance that she had the attention of at least one Vulcan, because he had been staring at her since the moment she walked in, Amanda strode over to the nearest bench and sat down. She removed a thermos full of _Au jus_, or a reduced beef stock. Her eyes locked with the Vulcan watching her, and Amanda opened the container.

The effect was nearly immediate. The Vulcans that were within thirty feet of Amanda froze in their actions. Their dark eyes riveted her with various looks from curiosity to barely-disguised disgust.

Bingo.

With flourish, she poured some from the main container into the top cup. With a wicked smile, akin to a cat with cream, she started to drink it. Several eyes widened in shock. Amanda repeated the action until the thermos was completely empty.

One Vulcan must have snitched, or something, because not six or so minutes into her 'torture' of the staff of the Vulcan embassy, one rather tall man in black robes came walking swiftly into the lobby area. His black brows receded into his hairline when he saw Amanda.

Who, not missing a beat, moved to the next morsel in her lunch… chicken nuggets. With a frosty smile, she bit into the chicken incredibly slowly, similar to a two year old that knows they are doing something wrong but are going to do it anyway for attention.

The Vulcan male clasped his hands behind his back and stared at her with that same unreadable Vulcan mask. She had been waiting for this.

"I see you are ignorant as to the cultural nuances of Vulcan society," he stated firmly, and she could tell a rebuke when she heard one.

Amanda munched on another nugget.

The Vulcan chose to lower one brow, but kept the other arched in distain.

"Vulcans have a superior sense of smell to Terrans," he started.

Yeah… she really didn't care.

"Also, Vulcans are what humans call 'vegetarians' and do not participate in the barbaric act of consuming meat from a sentient animal."

Huh an insult coupled with vague reproach. He sounded just like her mother.

She still didn't care. However, she did take another nugget and chewed up at him thoughtfully. The Vulcan blinked at her for several heartbeats without saying anything. Amanda didn't personally feel like breaking the silence.

Finally, it seemed as if her stonewalling actually irritated him, for his brows pulled together in disapproval.

"I see. The need for clarification is present. I am requesting you do not consume meat in this building."

Now that got her attention. "Is it against any laws or regulations?"

The Vulcan stared at her impassively. "No, it is not against the law or in violation of any regulation, however-"

"Then I will eat what I please here," she interrupted quickly and fished for the last nugget out of the bag.

"I reiterate, Vulcans find it distasteful for the consumption of meat to-"

"Distasteful, but not illegal."

"Be that as it may, I must insist-" he persisted.

"Insist to your heart's content," She quipped back, "I'm. Staying. Right. Here."

She brushed a stray lock of hair out of her eyes and stared back at the imposing wall of black robes.

"By failing to comply with my previous spoken request, I must ask that you leave the premises at once," the tall Vulcan stated neutrally.

Amanda glanced at him askance. "You can ask all you want, but I am not leaving. If it bothers you so greatly, you can have me forcibly removed."

She flashed her teeth at him in a poor imitation of a smile, but a wonderful image of an animal barring its teeth. The Vulcan stilled at her choice of words, and Amanda could not stop the surge of smug pride that echoed in the back of her thoughts.

"To be bothered is illogical. What is… is. And it is against our principles to enact force on another species."

"Well then," Amanda continued conversationally, "I will just eat here. Since you won't kick me out, and I won't leave."

Was it just her of did his face seem a touch pinched? Amanda nodded condescendingly and continued to sit on the bench, directly in front of the Vulcan work stations. With great flourish, she unwrapped her cheeseburger, with bacon because it was delicious, and proceeded to take an exaggerated bite from it. Her eyes fluttered shut for a moment, and gave a genuine smile as she began to chew with gusto.

She also took the time to give surreptitious glances to the Vulcans that stared at her with wide-eyed shock. Maybe it was shock; it could have been disgust for all she could tell. Amanda blinked at them with mock-innocence, until they returned to their respective works. While she ate, she thought about how the smell of the meat must be driving them nuts and looked around for some sort of ventilation shaft, or something that would allow her to spread the scent of freshly cooked beef throughout their embassy.

Sadly, she had to give up on that venture. The Vulcan area was like a hotbox, and she had the feeling that they did not need air-conditioning like humans did. Which, made sense since this was their planet and they would have adapted to it.

And her little ritual continued for weeks just this way. Each day the Vulcan assistant would come and ask her to leave and each day, Amanda would come up with more ways to tell him off. Politely, she wasn't going to start an incident after all. Thought what sort of meat she was eating did change from day to day, the irritated eyes of the Vulcans did not. Amanda basked in her ineffectual achievement, because the Vulcans were too strong of an ally to attack outright. But, being culturally insensitive was something humans had loads of practice in.

Amanda prided herself on following in the footsteps of her ancestors.

However, one day, much to her surprise and suspicion, the assistant joined her. Without a word, he sat down with a container filled with a strange looking… salad, was her guess. Honestly it looked like it could have grown legs at any moment and walked away from him, but she wasn't a food expert of other worlds.

Still… it was best to keep her distance.

Amanda took a bite and chewed slowly as she watched him. Her eyes lingered on his ears, which she had come to like on Vulcans, and his black hair. _'In the right light'_, she mused softly, _'they could almost be handsome'_. Her eyes locked with his, and she stared him down for a moment, half-horrified by her own thought.

She watched him copy her movement and take a bite of some freaky blue thing, only to chew it equally slowly.

Huh.

Well, Amanda had to admit that was odd, but she chalked it up to the Vulcan trying to be passive aggressive with her. She gave him an amused smile. It truly did amuse her to wonder if he thought he could make her uncomfortable.

_Amateur_.

Amanda decided to play on the Vulcan's nearly obsessive compulsive need for personal space. She scooted four or five inches closer. She smirked when the assistant's eyes widened fractionally at her closer proximity. Her smirk only deepened into a leer when he scooted the exact same amount of inches away from her. She cocked her head to the side to study the fact that he was pressed up at the very end of the bench.

If she didn't know better, Amanda would have sworn he looked like a scandalized cat.

'_That should teach him_,' she thought smugly. Amanda decided to take a little bit of pity on the Vulcan, and stayed where she was. However, she continued to eat and watch him blatantly from her position. It once more surprised her, when he stared right back at her.

When she had finished, Amanda rose without saying a word and threw her trash away. She gave one last long glance over her shoulder before she left for the day. It irked her, on some level she couldn't understand, that he looked vaguely… pleased somehow.

And, that just ruined her mood.

OoOoOo

It might have been her imagination, because heaven only knew it wouldn't have been the first time, but Amanda could have sworn that Vulcan assistant had nothing better to do. Every day when she came by to 'taunt' the Vulcans into some sort of action that TerraGeneTech could use as leverage against them, that same Vulcan male was waiting for her with his lunch in hand.

She narrowed her eyes at him in irritation. Every day! She could not tell him to 'go away' because then he would have won their unspoken battle of wills. And Amanda's pride simply could not take that idea. It would also upset everything her fellow protesters had done so far. The goal was to get the Vulcan's to do something 'wrong' so that they could be strong-armed into better negotiations for earth's stocks and markets.

Amanda grit her teeth as he waited for her to sit down. He always waited for her to sit first, and then he would sit on the other end of the bench. Strangely, since this had all begun, the Vulcans stared at Amanda even more. She felt this was some sort of psychological warfare. She would not have put it passed them. Grudgingly, she admitted their titles of geniuses were well deserved. But, someone would have to be threatening her with death by Klingon before she would ever admit that out loud.

However, they did not know the scope of human tenacity and determination. Her species had considerable abilities of its own.

Today, Amanda decided to change up their normal routine. She smiled at the assistant brightly, as if welcoming a friend. If they wanted to play mind games, she would play them right back! It appeared to work because the Vulcan stiffened for a moment, his eyes flashed an emotion she couldn't place. However, Amanda was not entirely sure it wasn't just a trick of the florescent light either. The assistant continued to stare at her, unblinking.

Alright, that was a tad eerie, but she would hold her ground.

So she continued to stand…

And stand…

And stand.

The Vulcan arched a brow at her in what she hoped was exasperation.

"Is it your intention to sit at any time in the near future?" The Vulcan asked in a tone that spoke volumes of amusement.

Hm, it had not been her plan to amuse him. Amanda took a moment to glance him up and down, in a slow but rude manner.

"No," she responded cheerily before turning about face and heading back the way she came.

"Wait," the Vulcan called neutrally.

She didn't know why she stopped, but she did. Amanda turned back toward him with feigned look of innocence.

"You do not intend to stay?"

She was taken aback by the slight hesitation in his voice. That small waiver in his otherwise stoic tone caused her to feel a bit like a heel and she scattered for an excuse.

"I," she stared off gingerly, "I have something else to attend to-"

Which, really, she didn't. Her whole job, what she was paid for, was annoying Vulcans. And before today, she would have liked to have thought herself very good at it.

"I just wanted to stop by," Amanda continued lamely because there was no way any sane person would believe this excuse, "because it's our… routine?" The ending had been more of a question than a statement and she very nearly winced.

"Ah," he replied in his normally stoic tone, "then perhaps tomorrow?"

"Yes, tomorrow," she agreed quickly.

Yeah, no way in hell was she coming back again. This was just getting _strange_.

OoOoOo

Amanda had been minding her own business for once. So it came as a rather unpleasant surprise when her eyes caught sight of a being standing at the doorway of the human-friendly restaurant.

She stared, in mute shock, at the Vulcan assistant. She hadn't been back at the embassy for three days, and apparently, he was so concerned for her well-being, that he had come to find her. It would have been touching if it weren't so unusual. Amanda glanced around the small eating establishment she was in with a trace of panic. Her neck craned form side to side as she looked for any possible way to escape.

With a groan of frustration, she left her mostly finished dish on the table and tried to hide underneath said table.

"I have come to inquire if there is an Amanda Grayson taking nutrition at this establishment today?"

Amanda blinked from her less than stellar hiding place as she recognized the tell-tale Vulcan voice. She prayed fervently that he would walk right back out at never come looking for her again.

She was also slightly perplexed on how he knew her name. But, hiding under a table was not the time or place to ponder such things. The Vulcan had an odd way of looking at her that left Amanda feeling… weird. It was hard to explain. It was a cross between liking and loathing someone in a bizarre combination.

"Indeed," the Vulcan owner responded with equal neutrality and Amanda internally groused at their bizarre need for _honesty, "_The terran female you are searching for is 4.358 meters directly behind me."

She pinched her eyes shut and tried to think happy thoughts about not being here.

"You will observe that she is hiding under the table," the owner supplied.

Amanda blushed to the roots of her hair and clambered back into her seat in a valiant attempt to save face. Her face was the very picture of wounded pride and she groused at the owner in a tight voice.

"I wasn't _hiding_," she lied with a snarl, "I dropped my fork."

The very fork that glinted underneath the florescent light by her elbow, and Amanda surreptitiously knocked it to the ground.

"Oops," she muttered under her breath, still very irate, "clumsy me."

She ducked under the table once more, and foolishly hoped that maybe, just maybe, that assistant would leave her alone. Perhaps he would find her so illogical, he would simply… leave.

A pair of booted feet, flawlessly shined, stopped in front of her view and Amanda gave a deep sigh of defeat. She was going to have to talk to him, wasn't she?

Amanda pulled on a fake face of surprise, because her real shock had worn off, and gingerly got out from under her hiding place.

"…Hello…?"

"Greetings," the Vulcan replied immediately and she wondered if he had been waiting to say that.

Either way, she was never eating here again.

"You failed to show up for our scheduled arrangement," he supplied readily; "I had calculated a high probability of you being injured. I see that such an occurrence is not the case and that is acceptable."

Whatever the hell that meant… Amanda wasn't too sure, but it sounded along the lines of 'glad you aren't dead in a ditch somewhere'. This would have been mostly nice, if he had just phrased it differently. She did not think she would ever understand Vulcans.

"Yes," she replied unsurely, "that is _acceptable_."

"Since you are uninjured, I respectfully request to know why it is that you missed our arrangement?"

What? Did she have to write a Vulcan Dear-John letter before she stood someone up? Did Vulcans ever stand anyone up? Amanda amused herself with the thought that this might be the first time in Vulcan history, and that was somehow wildly entertaining.

Her eyes darted to his face, and she nearly swallowed the sarcastic remark she had been about to make. He didn't look judgmental; it was as if he was certain she had a perfectly _logical_ excuse for not showing up like she had promised.

Except that she didn't.  
>There was that one fatal flaw in her plan. She bit her tongue to straighten out her thoughts as she pondered a believable lie.<p>

"I was reassigned," which was slightly true, she could change what she did at a moment's notice and TerraGeneTech wouldn't have cared, as long as the bottom line was applying social pressure to the Vulcans. "And, my boss, David, is really very strict about how punctually we are," she babbled quickly, "to be honest I am a bit run down by how much he needs done."

Alright, so the fact was she was not a fan of her supervisor. And, he was kind of a dick to begin with anyway, therefore she didn't feel terrible about blaming him for ditching the Vulcan. However, David didn't really micromanage them just as long as it didn't look like they were being 'sympathetic' to the 'green-blooded-troglodytes'.

And, before now, Amanda would have been happy to say she had no problem with that. However, one of them following her around and trying to spend a noticeable amount of time with her could fall into the 'rant from David' category.

Actually, it fell into the risk of her getting hauled off of Vulcan by her hair if she wasn't careful, and there were still bills to be paid. So, she still needed this job. And the fact that it was normally very fun was an absolute bonus in her opinion.

Her attention turned back to the Vulcan that blinked at her in quick acceptance.

"Ah, I see," The assistant responded calmly, but his eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. And, frankly, that worried Amanda just a little. "You had other obligations you could not reschedule."

No.

"Exactly," she smiled faintly. That excuse had sounded watery to her ears, just like the last one she had given him, but if he wanted to believe it… hey, who was she to judge?

"And you were unable to notify me due to the circumstance that you are not in possession of my personal communicator, or the number to the Vulcan side of the Terran embassy," he finished knowingly.

Well, that sounded… plausible. So sure!

"Uh…"

"And, therefore we shall return to our regular meetings as soon as your new duties terminate, correct?"

She stared up at the dark eyes that bored into hers with blank ferocity, which seemed like an oxymoron, but the assistant was totally pulling it off. And, she could have stopped this whole train wreck from happening in an instant if she just told him that she wanted nothing to do with him.

But, _something_ stopped her. That bright burning in his eyes when he looked at her made her pause, and for the life of her, Amanda didn't understand why.

"…Yes?" She hedged nervously under his intense eyes. Amanda fidgeted with her fork in order to avoid looking at him.

"That is pleasing," he rumbled softly.

Yeah, ok then. Maybe if she traded with Susan and started going after the hospitals by shaking hands with every healer she met, or if she could get David her supervisor to let her off world early…

She winced as she realized she couldn't put him off because he was only going to come looking for her again. And, that thought was a touch creepy, and she really wanted to get the heck out of here before it became any more awkward. Her eyes locked with the stoic Vulcan's once more and she glowered.

Damn it all to hell and back, she should have just been a teacher like her mother wanted.

OoOoOo

She knew she should have stayed in bed this morning. She knew it down to her very bones when she caught sight of her team 'leader' as he burst through the Vulcan-Terran Embassy doors as she ate lunch with Sarek. It had been hard to stifle the long suffering groan which had been welling up inside her throat.

And, judging by the look of 'I will kill you now', she ventured a guess that this was not going to be pretty.

She noted that the assistant glanced at David curiously as he stormed right through the doors and directly for them.

Well, shit.

She cleared her throat awkwardly, "Hi David."

"Don't you 'Hi' me you Vulcan-lover," he snarled with an accusing finger pointed directly in her face.

This was an excellent start. He went from human to ass in 0.3 seconds. Fantastic! Amanda flinched at his tone and his words. They were potentially dangerous words amongst the followers of TerraGenTech. She was only partially surprised there wasn't a mob with torches and pitchforks rallying behind him.

She didn't even really like the Vulcan! Amanda groused to herself quietly that this was just all a vast misunderstanding and she would have to do an extraordinary amount of feather soothing for this to blow over. Possibly some ego stroking thrown in the mix as well.

"David, it's not-"she started unsuccessfully.

"You seek to imply that Ms. Grayson is more intimate with my person that you are comfortable with? Is this correct?" The stoic Assistant had a nasty habit of saying precisely the wrong thing at exactly the wrong time with humans. She found it rather amusing, and at times, adorable.

As she watched David turn an impressive shade of vermillion, Amanda was willing to reconsider the Vulcan's little 'quirk' as 'life-shortening'.

"_No one_ is speaking to you, you green-blooded freak," the human male shouted roughly.

Amanda pinched the bridge of her nose. Oh, this was not going to end well.

The Vulcan arched a brow contemplatively. "By 'freak' do you mean to imply that I, on some level, differ from the majority of my species? I assure you that is not the case. I am, in fact, in optimal health and-"

David's neck veins had begun to protrude as he screamed, "Shut up you mouthy bastard!"

"The term 'bastard' is not used correctly as my parents were both bonded at the time of my conception and-" the Vulcan corrected easily and Amanda had the sneaking suspicion that he enjoyed this.

She would have too, had the circumstances been different. The Vulcan really wasn't that bad. He seemed nice enough to her.

"Come on Amanda," David hissed angrily after seeing that his insults did not get him the desired effect.

She tried to jerk her arm out of his grasp, but his fingers held on too tightly. "Let go," she stated in alarm, "You're hurting me! Hey," she called to the Vulcan in a pleading tone, "a little help here?"

And, those simple words seemed to just snap the restraints of the Assistant's control. He lurched forward with a speed that even Earth's top sprinter could not have matched. With a furious roar, which glued Amanda in place out of fear, the Vulcan grasped David by his shirt.

"_Tor ri estuhl Valdena!"_

Amanda was struck by the revelation that provoking Vulcans was a bad idea, when said Vulcan pulled back and hammer-fisted her aggressor in the face. And, it occurred to her once more, when the sound of his bones breaking registered in her ears.

Holy fuck.

She watched, horrified and gratified in the same moment, as David crumpled to the ground as a bleeding mess. Her neck muscles unfroze just enough to allow her to turn in the assistant's direction.

"Are thee harmed?" His dark eyes were pitch black, and Amanda could not see his irises any longer.

"N-no," she squeaked out, "I am fine."

She looked around stunned for a moment, before the appropriate question resounded in her mind.

"Are…um, thee harmed?"

The assistant drew himself up to his full height, heedless of the whispers and stares surrounding the pair.

"I am uninjured."

Well, duh, Amanda knew that, but it was polite to ask when you smashed another guy's face in to help a girl.

"That is… satisfactory," she muttered as she tried not to replay the seen over and over in her head. She just might have done something un-ladylike, such as smiling at the pleasant image it presented.

The Vulcan nodded and soon his face was composed back behind a mask of cool indifference.

Okay, that was pants-wetting worthy.

Amanda fumbled for something to say, even as her Vulcan savior stood stoically waiting. She wondered if he were waiting for the authorities, or whatever Vulcan police were called, and if she would need to give a statement in his defense.

His defense; because he had nearly broken a man to protect her. Right.

She glanced up at him shyly. Her mind was very aware of the throbbing in her now bruised arm, but she didn't really care.

"Thank you…?"

"Thanks are illogical. However, if you are seeking my name, it is Sarek," the Vulcan replied formally, "S'ch T'Gai Sarek."

Well, she would just stick with Sarek.

Though her giving him genuine smiles had been rare in their acquaintance, Amanda gave him one of her best. She could feel the corners of her eyes squint up as she gazed at him with appreciation shining brightly in her eyes.

His dark, and decidedly attractive eyes some part of her whispered, looked back at her with a heat she had never seen before.

"As I have stated, your 'Thanks' are illogical, _Aduna_. You enacted the _Kal-i-fee _when you requested my assistance, and I chose to be your champion. Security has already been called to take care of your former _Koon'ul_ had been nullified and the _Kaisha_ is complete in the eyes of Vulcan society."

Was it her imagination, or did he seem a touch smug?

Amanda nodded indulgently as Sarek spewed words she had no understanding for. It hardly mattered; all he had done was be her 'champion' as he called it. That was dorkily-sweet… in a Vulcan sense. She made a mental note to look up the meaning of those words later.

Unfortunately, she forgot eight minutes later when Sarek's hand grasped hers and a strange pressure echoed around in her head at the contact.

A pressure that was immense and alien to her.

OoOoOo

Since his whole, honorable defense of her person and what-not, Amanda had taken to stopping back by the Embassy daily. Though it had pained her greatly, she had decided against continuing to bring meat as her main foodstuff and give the Vulcan a little bit of a break.

So she brought a salad instead.

She had also been impressed when Sarek had declined to say anything about the matter, though she was oddly curious why he seemed so pleased. Sure, it wasn't meat which bothered his people to no end, but it went passed that and into a territory that could only be called 'weird'.

And, to make things even stranger, he had taken to calling her '_Aduna_', which when she tried to look up the word, had only lead to several strange plant names. Amanda tried not to think to hard about it for she was most likely spelling it wrong, but still it unnerved her somehow. Well that, and he started puffing up like an angry cat when other males came around.

Alright, it wasn't really 'puffing' but he got damn near glacial with any other Vulcan male that came near Amanda. She chalked it up to having had to save her once from an aggressive male. Granted it had been a human male, and a douchebag at that, but it made a great deal of sense.

Due in part to his heroic defense of her, Amanda had readily agreed when Sarek had requested she join him at his Family's estate. Well, he had said it with a lot more words and it wasn't an 'estate' but some word with 16 consonants and no vowels. Amanda was tempted to ask if he had made it up, but Vulcan's never lied.

She gave a half-hearted sigh down at the only 'formal' gown she had. Which, she had borrowed from a Andorian roommate she had known in college. And, had she been paying attention, she could have recalled what the name of the garment was and if it was a gown or a dress. As it stood right now, it was a brightly colored, form-fitting, and soft piece of fabric that was her only means of covering herself to make the attempt at being presentable.

Go her.

Amanda gave a nervous appraisal to the garment once more. It was a green, with the flowers native to the Andorian home world on it. She thought it was passingly pretty, not garish at all, but she knew that she was going to be 'rubbing elbows' with Sarek's family.

And _that_ wasn't terrifying at all…

Maybe she would contract the 'flu' and be unable to attend this stupid party? She pondered the consequences over for a moment before realizing that Sarek would drag her forcibly to a 'healer' to be checked over, and her ruse would not survive anyone with medical training.

Gah! Literal Vulcans made lying such a pain in the ass!

Okay, new plan… she could just-

_Beep. Buzz. Beep_

Amanda groaned in frustration as the door to her 'apartment', which was really just TerraGenTech housing, rang out in the small space. She checked her hair and make-up once more, before deciding to throw caution to the wind and answer the door.

Lo and behold, it was the exact Vulcan she had been thinking of. Not, that she was really expecting anyone else as they were avoiding her after the whole 'Knocked David out' incident. That still never failed to make her giggle with girlish delight at the recollection.

Sarek looked rather… dashing, for a Vulcan… she had to admit. Her fondness for him surfaced through her thoughts as this familiar bowl-shaped haircut and green ears that pointed out from beneath the black strands. That same fluttering of _something_ tugged at her heart quickly. Amanda brushed it aside with a force only known to supernovas.

His attire was very formal, and she suffered another moment of worry that she was not dressed properly.

"You look magnificent, _Aduna,_" he stated in that same toneless voice that didn't seem quite so monotone when he was talking to her.

She had to fight the blush that threatened to overwhelm her. Her heart fluttered traitorously in her chest with abandon.

Right.

Magnificent.

That was not a word normally associated with Amanda Grayson, but she could get used to it. Besides, Vulcan's never lied, so he must really think she looked stunning. Her gaze dropped from his in acute embarrassment mixed with pleasure at his words.

"Thank you," she mumbled shyly.

"Thanks are illogical," he chimed in readily.

And… the moment was dead. Killed in a merciless fashion by the Vulcan, who seemed oblivious to how his comment sounded. Great.

Amanda gave a mental prayer for patience as she felt much more at ease by his complete lack of social grace. She had spent two hours getting ready and in less than one minute she was already contemplating ditching him.

Ah, there was something to be said for familiarity.

She gave Sarek an indulgent smile. "Are you ready to proceed?"

She wasn't really mocking him, it was more like teasing. Honest.

He clasped his hands behind his back and stared at her intently. "I was merely waiting on you. Any delay after our initial greeting is due solely to your time management."

It never ceased to amaze her at how much of a smooth talker he was. Amanda laughed in spite of herself and walked out into the hall with him. His dark eyes scanned her from head to toe, and she was forced to suppress a shiver. What was wrong with her? This was _Sarek_ of all people, and here she was getting turned on.

Well, that was enough of that.

Amanda closed the door behind her, and looked up at her Vulcan escort expectantly. He inclined his head and began to proceed down the hall toward the exit. The silence between them, though very comfortable, remained through the air-car journey to his family home and into the main house.

Amanda had thought about broaching a topic of conversation during the ride. However, the simple ease in which she could talk to Sarek disappeared outside of their lunch-time ritual or whenever they were spending time together in such a way that did not feel like a date.

Not, that Amanda thought this was a date.

…Did Sarek think it was?

Now her head hurt. Amanda closed her eyes firmly against the dull throb of exertion that flowed from her brain. She opened her eyes again to see the dusty colored estate that glowed like a gem in the rough of the desert. Her breath caught in her throat at its beauty, which only intensified as Sarek lead her into the main house.

She was in awe of the Vulcan architecture and the work it must have taken to carve such intricate details into a stone more dense than Earth marble. Sarek had mentioned to her weeks ago that these ancient estates dated back to the time before Surak.

Whoever the hell that was.

Amanda was convinced that it must have been a Vulcan form of Jesus by the way he was revered by the people even to this day. She chuckled at her own joke, but cut it short when Sarek gave her a questioning look. Amanda pretended to be even more engrossed in the carvings in the main area. She thought they might have told a story similar to 'Peter and the Wolf' except with a large bear-cat thing and like…one, two, three, four… four Vulcan children.

Hm, maybe it wasn't 'Peter and the Wolf'?

She took a longer look at the Vulcans in the carving. They were children right? She squinted and cocked her head to the side for a better glance.

"I presume that this is thy _Aduna?_"

Amanda felt her spine stiffen out of reflex at the frigid tone that dripped with distaste. And, whenever that happened, it was normally directed at her. Because, that was Murphy's law except Murphy never freaking left her alone!

Her eyes locked with the wizened face of a Vulcan Female who just screamed '_raging bitch'_ in Amanda's eyes. Well… she might have been a touch biased, but she had the feeling that whoever this was, was about to earn that title anyway. She had clenched her teeth to keep the retort she felt at the tip of her lounge at bay.

"Indeed," Sarek replied as if the woman were not trying to obviously insult Amanda, "this is Amanda Grayson."

The Vulcan woman arched a brow in distain, and Amanda felt her hackles rise. The other woman spoke in short, and clipped sentences in their native tongue. Amanda felt even more insulted that the Vulcan _hag_ was speaking in a language she didn't really have a full grasp of. She watched Sarek respond in the same controlled tone and neutral facial expression he always wore.

Amanda was tempted to chalk the rudeness up to a cultural indifference-

"I had not expected a human to wear such… bright… colors to a formal function," the old Vulcan stated with biting condensation that sounded even worse because it was under the guise of being stoic.

Or… she would have chalked it up… now she was wondering how to kill the woman without leaving witnesses.

Amanda felt her cheeks flame at the rebuke of her taste in clothes. She had not had a huge amount of choice, but Sarek had thought she looked fine. Better than fine! She placed a tight, but cold, smile on her lips.

"I had not expected such a _warm_ and _hospitable_ greeting," Amanda bit out caustically.

The Vulcan female regarded Amanda with a gleam in her eyes that made Amanda want to snarl out loud.

"I conclude that _she_ is not educated in the ways of Vulcan manners?"

'_Oh, I am going to launch across this room and tackle that Vulcan hag_!,' she thought viciously as her legs tensed to do just that.

Amanda glared at the female openly as Sarek butted in clueless.

"Indeed, it is an area that I have not had sufficient time to improve upon," he stated toneless.

She couldn't help but glance up at him sharply. '_What did he just say?_' She was torn between being furious and being something beyond furious but not quite to murderous with him.

"See that thee does not cause a disturbance," the Vulcan stated in stoic distain with a slight nod of her head, "if thy species is capable of such a feat."

Upon further evaluation, Amanda decided that 'raging bitch' was not strong enough. There had to be a phrase that accurately described that _thing_ and as soon as she thought of it… oh! That green witch was going to get it! And, she had been duped into thinking Vulcans were a passive and peaceful race!

"Are you aware that you are gazing, rather intently, at T'Pau's retreating form?"

Amanda half-snarled at Sarek for interrupting thoughts of vengeance and how to stage another 3,000 person hand-holding right in front of the green witch.

Her mind, however, had caught the tiny snippet of information and held fast.

"T'Pau?" She queried in seething ire.

"Indeed," he responded calmly, "she is the Matriarch of this clan-"

And a complete and utter _troll_ didn't need to be said. Amanda glanced at Sarek in anger for he had insulted her, his friend, instead of defending her-

"And my Mother," Sarek finished informatively.

Her mind halted all function for a total of three minutes…

That _thing _was his _Mother?_ Amanda felt her anger deflate as if someone had taken a pin to her balloon. She now only felt pity for Sarek, and a heaping helping of guilt, because growing up with that female must have been what even Vulcans could term 'hell'.

"Shall we proceed to the gathering?" His dark eyes bored into her with traces of what she thought might be excitement.

Okay, that was weird.

She nodded mutely, not trusting herself to speak. They were going to have words when this was over, but not in public. Even Amanda was not one for a scene when others could see it. Granted she had been part of protests and annoying the impassivity out of Vulcans, but not on a personal scale. And, that made quite a bit of difference!

She stepped closer to Sarek out of reflex and nervousness at such a large crowd of almost all Vulcan attendees. Amanda tried not to wring her hands in a display of anxiety.

"Calm yourself _Aduna_," Sarek whispered in a strangely comforting manner.

She gave him a watery smile and attempted to hide the anxiety better, because there was no way she was going to calm down without some time or liquid courage.

Okay, she had been here for about six minutes now … surely that could be rewarded by clinging to the shadows of the room? Yep, that sounded just fine to Amanda. However, her wonderful contingency plan was stalled when Sarek motioned her toward a group of four Vulcans, who peered at her in open curiosity.

Well… fuck.

She smiled as kindly as she could, given the circumstances.

"May I present," Sarek started tonelessly, "my third cousin Kalelothran and his _Aduna_ T'Syril. Also, you will note they are accompanied by S'Blen and Gol'tresshal."

Yeah, she already knew there was no way she would remember any of that. Amanda tried to quell the nervous bubble of energy. She watched Sarek turn toward the others with the same impassive face and that helped her worry less, because his blankness was a constant she could count on.

"Kalelothran, T"Syril, S'Blen, and Gol'tresshal, I present Amanda Grayson."

Amanda was proud of herself for holding back the squeak of fright she felt when they all locked their gazes on her with renewed intensity.

"Pardon me, I will seek refreshment," Sarek stated before giving a slight bow as he left.

'_Don't leave me you Vulcan bastard_!,' her mind cried out in agitation.

Amanda swung her eyes toward the only other female in the group and gave a tiny smile. Her face flushed slightly under the weight of their stares. And she coughed awkwardly once. Amanda tried very hard not to stare at some unknown point on a distant wall and hope for them to leave her alone. Just like a bear will most likely leave the thing it is mauling if it plays dead.

Could she get away with simply dropping to the floor in the fetal position?

"Pardon us, we have another person to greet," one of the males said an for the life of her, Amanda had already forgotten his name, but she smiled as two of them left.

She blinked back at the other Vulcans blankly.

The female Vulcan appeared to be waiting for something, and Amanda wracked her brain for an appropriate thing to say.

"So, you are Sarek's third cousin?"

Open mouth, insert foot. Amanda could have slapped a hand to her forehead in exasperation with such a needless question.

"Indeed," the male replied unhelpfully, and Amanda wanted to gnash her teeth in frustration.

This really _had_ to be a Vulcan thing. She was sure of it.

"It is a correct statement to call Kalelothran Sarek's third cousin, however, the amendment must be stated that it is through marriage," the female Vulcan responded eloquently.

Um… alright, but Amanda had no idea what difference that made culturally.

"Oh," she replied lamely.

The continued to stand in a semi-circle not saying anything, but Amanda had to hand it to Vulcans, they were very attentive to their guests. She felt like she wouldn't sleep for a week with the amount of staring directed her way. They didn't miss a second to look at her. She felt like a creature at a zoo.

After a few minutes of her wondering where in all of Vulcan Sarek had wandered off to, leaving her to fend for herself in the most uncomfortable meeting of her life, the other male Vulcan murmured an excuse to the female. Amanda could hear him mention something about a work colleague he had to inform about some matter which made her brain throb to think about.

"I shall return in 4.862 minutes, _Aduna,_" Kalelothran smoothly stated, his eyes held a warmth that Amanda had thought impossible outside of Sarek.

However, as often happens with humans, the bug of curiosity bit Amanda as she saw her opportunity to ask the question that had been bothering her for some time now.

"I'm sorry, what did he just call you?"

"Ah, the fault is mine I forget that some of our words do not translate into standard. _Aduna_, is what he called me, because I am his wife," T'Syril responded calmly.

Amanda choked on her drink so badly that she turned purple for a moment.

"_What_?" She asked in a strangled tone.

T'Syril cocked her head to the side and gave a look of blank confusion. "I had already informed you I was bonded."

"I know that," Amanda snapped before she could stop herself, "I'm sorry, I know that. However, are you certain _Aduna_ means 'wife'."

"It is my language Ms. Grayson, I am well aware of the term's meaning."

"Right," she responded dazedly, "right, of course you are. Would there ever be a time where someone might call you _Aduna_ without being your bond mate…husband….thing?"

T'Syril's eyes danced with amusement and Amanda was ready to bleat out in fear at the thought.

"Negative. An _Aduna_ is only such when she is someone's wife."

Amanda's hand trembled as she reached for another glass of champagne.

She was going to need a lot more alcohol…

And an escape route.

With a smile that most certainly did not reach her eyes, Amanda excused herself from T'Syril's company. Her thoughts reeled with a knowledge that seemed more like a death sentence. Her legs were wobbly at the knees as she moved.

Amanda wove through the guests, which she now understood were here mostly to meet Sarek's new wife. This was her. Oh holy moly, she was his wife. Her mind flooded with a haze of sheer hysteria and booze. Perhaps, she shouldn't have had that third glass of champagne?

No wait, that was what was keeping her from running around the estate like a chicken with its head cut off.

Where was more champagne when she needed it?

Amanda glanced around the hallway she had found herself in. Without hesitation she bolted into the nearest room to ride out the 'freak out' she was currently in the throng of. She grasped a handful of her gown and brought it to her mouth.

She wasn't hyperventilating. She wasn't!

Amanda glanced around the sparsely decorated room in a manner akin to anguish. She _had_ to get out now! What the hell did Sarek mean by they were _married?_

Such a dirty, dirty word.

Her eyes widened in panic as the room spun from under her stationary body. What was she going to do? She couldn't go back down there with the Mother-in-law even Satan would fear. It just was not humanly possible. Lifting eight times your weight when your child was in danger? Sure. Sprinting faster than fire can travel in a blast to save your ass? Fine. Stand another minute with T'Pau the Vulcan hag? Not possible.

Amanda tried to control the bark of horrified laughter that escaped her lips at the thought. She must have hit her head… somehow, because she was calling T'Pau her mother-in-law. Dear God, she was going to be sick.

It was then, while she glanced around desperately for something to hold the impending bile, that Amanda caught sight of the most beautiful thing on all of Vulcan…  
>A Window to her freedom, and you bet your ass she was going to use it.<p>

Amanda grasped at her dress… skirt… thing, greedily as she hoisted one leg over the sill. The fabric caught the edge and gave a tremendously loud 'rip' sound as she toppled over the other side. From her sitting position, Amanda had practically hurled herself to the other side.

She gave a soft gasp as the wind was knocked from her. Her footsteps hardly made a noise as she ran across the cooling sand. Her hair whipped behind her unbound as she sprinted with all her might toward, where she wasn't sure, but the Human Embassy couldn't be that far. If she recalled correctly it was only half an hour away by air-car. So that was what… four hours by foot?

Bah, she could do that!

OoOoOO

'_Chest on Fire…. Can't breathe…going to… die!_'

Amanda had long since slowed down to a walking pace, however, even that failed to alleviate the tightness in her chest. She pulled in tortured breaths into lungs that hadn't seen real exercise in a deplorably long time.

Damn running anyway. It was useless!

You know, if you ignored the whole running for your life part of 'running'. Then it was only tolerable and she would be very grateful if some sort of transit would please, dear God please, come and rescue her from being forced to move in the unbearable Vulcan temperatures.

'_How in the name of physics, had anything developed on this forsaken planet?_' She wondered with a slight wheeze.

She wiped a tired, and sweaty, hand across an even sweatier brow. Her hair was tangled with sand and most likely, more sweat. She needed a glass of water. It had kept her warm at least, as the night had come in swiftly and the temperature had dropped rapidly. She had stumbled into the city half an hour ago.

Well, half an hour-ish.

She wasn't too clear on the time frame right now. Amanda blinked bleary eyes at the strange street name that she couldn't pronounce. She had a basic grasp of the Vulcan language; however, reading it was something altogether different in her opinion. They were a people obsessed with crazy squiggles.

Her eyes caught sight of the bakery she recognized as being human-friendly, not that Vulcans were anti-human, but they catered the human palate with a lot more success. And, they had a decent version of 'French' bread that made Amanda miss home slightly less. How they had even gotten a recipe she wasn't exactly sure, but she never argued with a good thing.

And Sarek was most certainly not a good thing because she had argued with him all. the. time.

He wouldn't follow her. He simply _couldn't_, because Amanda had no idea how to deal with that. Her heart hammered in her chest with a frightening force that caused her to swallow out of reflex. She gave a startled glance behind her when the familiar sound of footsteps echoed through the mostly deserted streets.

She backed slowly up to the side of the nearest building with her eyes wide and alert. Amanda even held her breath, not that she thought it would help, but because screaming bloody murder because her 'husband' might have tracked her down was undignified. If she got to keep nothing else, she had her pride!

The footfalls neared and she tried to become one with the wall, but to no avail. She watched the corner of the street as if it were a viper, ready to strike without warning. However, her fear was short-lived when another human appeared in her line of sight.

'_Oh thank you for small miracles_,' she praised sincerely.

She took in, with relief, the Starfleet red of his shirt. Amanda felt her lips morph into a charming smile as she half-rushed to meet the other human as if they were the only pair on Vulcan. Which, she was mostly certain they weren't.

"Excuse, me?"

The young man looked down at Amanda with surprise etched don his rather handsome features. She should have been horrified at the thought of checking out another man while she was 'married'!

'_I'm 'married'_,' she thought primly, '_not dead_.'

Wait, she didn't want to be married! Amanda shook her thoughts in a childish effort to 'take it back'. The unknown man was looking at her with a kind expression that bordered on open curiosity.

"Yes," he responded politely, "may I help you Miss?"

Amanda could have wept in relief at his words. Human phrases! Human emotions! Someone who was not Sarek! It was too beautiful for words! She forced her hands down to her sides so she wouldn't inadvertently grab the man and hang on for dear life.

"I'm a little lost," she fibbed sweetly, "I'm looking for the Terran Embassy. I need to get there rather soon," which was the understatement of her life at this point, "or I will miss my shuttle."

Amanda had no idea what the shuttle schedule was, or if there even was a shuttle headed for Earth or a ship that could take her to Earth. She firmly believed that at this moment she would take a ship to the Klingon empire if it got her off of Vulcan.

Right. Now.

The young man looked at her with suspicion for a moment, before it passed. Amanda didn't think she looked particularly _threatening_. She could have been wrong, she was wiry after all.

"I'm sorry Miss, but the Terran Embassy is another five miles from here," he informed her with regret.

Four hours?

Amanda suddenly thought that maybe just laying down to die might have been a kinder fate than the one she was currently experiencing.

That did not change the fact that Amanda needed to get back to her own planet.

Not tomorrow. Not four hours from now. The panic was starting to build in the back of her mind and she needed to get out of here. Did no one else care there was a crazy Vulcan wanting to be her 'husband'? Really? That should have its own alert. Like…'Vulcan Alert' or 'Insane Alien Marriage Alert'.

She liked the second one better

"However," the man continued cordially, "if you don't mind waiting for a few minutes, I can arrange to have you accepted as a passenger aboard a Starfleet vessel."

Amanda blinked once, then again in mute disbelief.

"You can do that?"

"Yes Ma'am," he responded with a cocky grin, "I'm the Chief engineer, they aren't leaving without me."

She nearly melted into a puddle of goo at his feet. The relief was so intense that she literally felt tears prickle at the corners of her eyes. She normally hated weepy females, but this was a circumstance that called for a little saline!

The young man looked startled at her physical reaction. "It's really no trouble… please don't cry."

She almost laughed at the awkwardness in his tone and how he shuffled away from her uneasily.

"Oh it's not you," she replied honestly, "I have a piece of sand in my eye." She blinked a few times to play up the act.

Understanding dawned in the stranger's hazel eyes quickly. "Yeah, I hate that about this planet. The sand gets everywhere."

Yeah, she really didn't want to actually small talk the Starfleet member, she just wanted to get off this planet. Had she mentioned that yet?

"Uh-huh," she stated in a tone that was less than nonplussed, "how soon do you think we could depart?"

"Um, let me see," he checked his communicator for a moment, the line crackled as someone else came on.

Amanda slipped into a haze of wondering what to do about this whole 'marriage' thing. Did Vulcans even do divorce? How was she going to file with two separate worlds? Was there some sort of precedence for this?

Well, she could always opt for the good ol' stand by… ignore it and hope it goes away.

Yeah, that sounded good.

"We're leaving in ten minutes," the man interrupted her thoughts swiftly.

Amanda took a steadying breath. With speed, and an insane amount of luck, she would never have to see Sarek again. Strangely, the thought caused her stomach to tighten into a tense knot and she felt slightly dizzy. There was _something_ that caused her to reconsider for all of ten seconds, but it was there. She had… a fondness for her friend, sure.

He really was a _friend_. She had admitted that a while ago… but stay here? Forever? She shook her head, headless of the man staring at her in confusion. She just couldn't. She simply wasn't cut out for this sort of thing. It was so random, that it seemed to be out of a bizarre romance novel.

"Are you alright?"

Amanda blinked up into the concerned face of her 'rescuer' with a timid smile.

"I'm fine, thank you, just thinking about something."

"Okay…," he was clearly reconsidering taking her, and Amanda put on her best smile, "ready to go?"

"Yes, please," she responded but the words got caught halfway through her throat and escaped as a croak.

Her brain wracked itself for a time estimate. How long had it taken to get here from Earth? Three days, she was fairly certain it had taken three days. In 72 long hours she would be back at home and all of this would be nothing more than a memory.

She hoped.

OoOoOo

_Ding-Dong._

She shouldn't have been surprised. In all reality she should have guessed this was going to happen.

Her door bell had chimed, and the birds were not even awake. And Amanda was fairly certain that even the Earth was not turning at this hour so who, for crying out loud, could possibly be wanting to see her?

Groggily, she brushed the small locks of hair from her eyes and tried to force her eyes to focus as she stumbled from her warm cocoon of a bed toward the sound.

_Ding-Dong._

Oh, whoever this person was… they were going to get a piece of her mind. Sleepy, though it was.

Amanda halted at the top of the stairs leading down to the door, and blinked her sight back into focus. It would do her no good whatsoever to tumble head first down the stairs. Though, the thought of leaving the interloper at the door waiting was an amusing idea it was not very practical.

_Ding-Dong._

For Pete's sake! She was coming as fast as she could. More or less… mostly less.

With a snarl firmly in place she grabbed the old-time handle and ripped the door open with enough force to cause it to groan in protest. Served it right; stupid door.

"What?" She demanded harshly, only to have the word die at the back of her throat in shock.

Holy freaking baby Jesus… Sarek had followed her.

He had followed her to _Earth._

Please let this be a dream. Amanda felt her left eye start to twitch of its own volition.

"Greetings Amanda," he rumbled softly in his characteristic stoicism.

"You followed me," she stated dumbly, still in shock.

"Indeed. I had not thought you so eager to return to your homeland that you would neglect to inform me," he stated with a heavy Vulcan-frown in place, "however, I have arrived as quickly as I was able."

"To _Earth_," she stressed with a touch of amusement and hysteria.

Sarek glanced around curiously to see what had caused such a reaction, but Amanda had the feeling there was not a mirror around so he could actually 'see' what was upsetting her. She could give him a hint, it stood over six feet tall and was Vulcan.

"That is correct," his eyebrows drew together in confusion, "we are located on Earth."

Amanda gave him a glare and was tempted to slam the door in his face. But, it was too early for her brain to even comprehend the idea considering what was facing her.

"Why are you here?" She asked with cool civility as she wondered how quickly she could summon the authorities.

Not to hurt him, no, just to make him go away.

"You are here," he said with an innocent blink of his dark eyes.

"Yeah," the 'to get away from you' was left unsaid.

"Also, I have been promoted to Ambassador of this planet."

Whoa. Take it back a moment here…

What did the marriage crazy Vulcan just say?

"Huh?" Amanda could have kicked herself for her eloquent speaking.

He stared at her blankly. "I am now Ambassador to Earth, from Vulcan."

Even in her muddled state, she could have guessed where he was from. She had kind of been there… you know, on that planet where he had _married_ her by his people's laws.

Yeah, that place.

She shook her head in disbelief as to why he felt the need to share this knowledge.

"And…?"

He clasped his hands behind his back. "And, this means that I will be regularly visiting Earth on treaty business. As well as living on Vulcan for extended periods of time," he finished and he gave her a look she couldn't help but notice was a 'you should be so pleased with me' look.

Good luck with that, buddy.

"Alright," Amanda responded nonplussed.

"Therefore it was only logical to inform you of our change in status. However, the number for your communicator was improperly copied down on the original information you gave me 9.762 Terran months ago."

The what? Oh right, the fake number she gave him as a brush off. Amanda chuckled to herself in her head. That had been screamingly funny at the time.

"As a result I was unable to reach you by any other means and have come in person to inform you," he finished, and Amanda could have sworn he was proud of himself.

"So," she stared while leaning on the door frame, "you followed me."

God, did she even want to ask how he found her?

Not really.

"Of course I followed you," his black eyes bored into her with a strange emotion, "You are my _Aduna_."

Yeah, because that explained everything…

Amanda snorted lightly from the door frame in equal parts exasperation and disbelief. The fact that Sarek, her supposed _husband_ of almost a year now…

Who, oh by the way, Amanda did not remember agreeing to marry…

Thought he could just chase her across the galaxy and show up at her doorstep at – she glanced at the solar clock behind her front door- 6:15 in the morning and spout off that he had someone volunteered himself to be the ambassador for Earth? Was this Vulcan out of his supposedly 'genius' mind?

Because, to Amanda, it sure as hell seemed like it.

And what on Earth, or any world for that matter, had possessed him to track her down this early in the morning? Did he have no concept of human decency? No one should be up in this unholy hour… but… then again, he wasn't human, was he?

He continued to stare at her with unfathomable emotions that she could not name and didn't really feel up to doing so. Amanda tilted her head against the doorframe and stared back at him blankly. Her mind was torn between being completely freaked out. Which was tempting in and of itself, or being half in love with the crazy Vulcan bastard that had somehow gotten it into his head Amanda wanted him.

It was a really awkward place to be, actually.

Amanda scanned her own feelings on this occurrence for just a moment. Whatever _it_ was, thrummed in her mind and heart as one.

Sarek glanced down, in a manner that could have been described as shy, and then back at Amanda.

"You are, undeniably, the very reason for my continued existence," he stated softly and she could only gape at him in return, "You are more precious than life itself."

That strange emotion, the one Amanda had never looked too closely at, welled inside her chest at his heart-breaking and sincere words. And, though they had argued many a time over human emotionalism and brashness, she couldn't help but think that she would never find a husband as _honest_ as Sarek. Also, she supposed, he had fought to protect her from the David-the-jerk, and they had found friendship after that. And, many great loves started out as friendships.

Well, a few at least.

She couldn't really think of any.

Besides, she could do _worse_. So he ran at a higher temperature, didn't like touching of any form in public, and had a nearly unholy love of cleanliness? But did she like him enough to _marry_ him?

Granted, they had already technically been married…

But, Sarek had treated her with respect and trust. Something that Amanda, like any sensible human female, wanted from a partner. And, if he were an ambassador for Earth, she would at least see her home again from time to time…

Well, all that, and his words were the sweetest damn thing she had ever heard.

Amanda moved away from leaning on the door frame, half convinced she had lost her mind, and looked at Sarek with a serious expression. She pushed the door wide and gestured inside.

"Then welcome home, _Adun_."

OoOoOo

She had been given a favorable impression James from the moment she met her. The girl had seemed polite and even a bit rambunctious, if the whole smashing T'Pring's head into a pillar repeatedly was anything to go by. In all honestly, Amanda thought her son could use a woman like James in his life. A brash young human and a reserved young Vulcan seemed eerily similar.

And, as she watched the blonde try to escape out the very same window Amanda had all those years ago, it brought a wave of nostalgia.

She just might like this girl.

Might.

Even the look of sheer panic on James' face reminded Amanda of herself. With an amused internal smile, Amanda made a point of opening the door again… a bit louder this time.

Because, in part, she got a slightly sadistic sort of pleasure in watching the girl jump for the ceiling, and the girl could jump!

Um…," James started eloquently.

"Let me guess," Amanda recalled her own thoughts years ago, "'its' not what it looks like?'"

Amanda met the started blue eyes with her own entertained ones.

"Well, honestly, that depends… what does it look like?" Amanda nearly laughed before reigning in the urge. Maybe, just maybe, James in her family would not be such a bad thing.

Maybe.

It bore consideration in the future, at an unspecified date.

"It looks like you are about to jump out the window and head for the hills," Amanda stated bluntly, barely able to contain her amusement for the situation.

Where was an old fashioned camera when you needed one?

Amanda watched as James looked down at her leg, stretched over the windowsill, then outside at the desert landscape, and finally back at Amanda.

"Yeah… I've got nothing."

At least she was honest, if nothing else. Amanda could work with that.

"Hm," Amanda replied indulgently. She had the feeling this was going to be good.

Her newly acquired daughter-in-law smiled at her brightly. Amanda wondered if James was aware that the smile could be termed 'blinding'. The girl must have had an excellent dentist.

"Look… Amanda, may I call you Amanda?"

Hm. She had never give thought to what she should be called. With T'Pring she had insisted on her full clan name, just for kicks honestly. However, James would not be able to pronounce that name. Even after years of living with Vulcans, Amanda could only pronounce her clan name… after a fashion.

Alright, so it sounded like she was hitting a baby with a cat, but it was still her best attempt at pronouncing the damn name. There should be a law against being unable to say your own name. Who could take you seriously?

"Okay… Amanda, I don't know how to say this but-,"

Oh right, James was still talking wasn't she?

"You had no idea you were marrying a Vulcan, and now you are going to run back to your spaceship and try to put this whole 'thing' behind you." The response had been a deadpan-serious reply. And, Amanda had the feeling she had hit the proverbial nail on the head.

Well, at least the universe was consistent if nothing else.

"Um," the blonde responded stupefied.

Dear God, this was _priceless_.

Amanda continued to nearly howl with laughter far beyond what could have been considered 'polite' but was unable to stop herself. She wiped a few stray tears from her eyes as the last of her laughter died on her lips. A large, but condescending smile painted her lips. "Oh come now," she stated after seeing Jim's expression, "you don't think you're the first human to accidently marry a Vulcan, do you?"

"Not exactly," James bit out rudely.

So, that was yes.

Amanda grinned at her with the warmth and understanding only a mother could possess. "I'm afraid that spot has already been taken."

So get in line Kiddo.

"By who?"

"Why, by me of course," she responded with a cocky smile.

Amanda was willing to bet Sarek's ambassadorship that James had thought she was the first one. Silly woman, Vulcans are for marrying. Why did that sound vaguely familiar? Amanda pondered it over for a moment in distraction as James floundered.

The girl was quite adorable when she flushed.

"Wait, what?"

"I'm going to venture that my son explained his intentions to you… in a way that might have been slightly misleading," Amanda conjectured with a tilt of her head.

"Misleading is a term for it, I suppose," Jim reported.

Yeah, okay, so the woman had a point. Big deal. Stuff happens.

Amanda nodded her head sagely. "Then it is a Vulcan trait to poorly explain such things to terrans," she paused for a moment, "or anyone for that matter that isn't a Vulcan."

"Sorry, I do still not understand what this has to do with you seeming to be alright with me trying to escape out a window."

Amanda glared at the impertinence. This woman was far too much like Amanda, but she supposed it could be a blessing in disguise.

A very, very, very good disguise.

"Ma'am," Jim amended quickly and Amanda arched a brow at the hurried placation.

"I was once in your shoes," she tried to reassure the newest member of her household, if only to save herself some time, "My_ Adun_ and I were married for eight months before I even knew what had happened."

"Eight months?" The blonde looked flabbergasted and Amanda smirked at the reaction.

"Vulcans are weird."

Really, now she was just messing with her son's bride. However, that did not mean she did not have an incredibly valid point.

Amanda: 1, James: 1.

Equal footing was best, after all.

"I was an intern," she stated nonchalantly, "for a pro-human political group of all things, trying to strong-arm Vulcans into giving more of their investments into Earth stocks and companies." A sour look over took the woman's face for a brief moment. "It didn't go well. A few of us, myself included, decided to hold protests by doing as many things un-Vulcan as we could. For example, we would show up all holding hands, we would spout as many nonsensical statements as possible-for a while there it made a great game-, and I personally made a great show of eating hamburgers every day in their Embassy offices."

A small laugh of nostalgia left Amanda as she recalled the look on Sarek's face the first time she had met him. And, perhaps, the thirty or so times after that.

"But how did you…?" Jim asked as she made a gesture with her left ring finger.

Amanda made a dismissive gesture in return. It really wasn't that interesting. Really it wasn't!

"Oh that, well, to make a long story short. Sarek started to take his meals with me while I ate meat. He had read up on terran courting rituals, because that was part of his job… to understand us confusing humans. To him, logically, I was seeking a mate. And, he… well I honestly don't know why he thought I wanted him, but eventually we ended up in a confrontation between him and one of the people I worked for. By Vulcan society, he had fought for me, and that meant I was his."

That was mostly true. Sure she had gleamed over quite a bit of the details, but there would be time for her embarrassing little tale later.

Like when Amanda was dead.

"However, take some advice from a woman who has been in your shoes," Amanda said sweetly as she gave James her best 'mom' glare, "If you leave, Spock will only come after you."

And he would too. Because in some ways; Spock was very much his father's son.

"Look, Amanda," Jim stated with a pearly smile and Amanda nearly snorted at the attempt to placate her, "I belong on the USS Enterprise. I don't know if Spock told you, but I am the foremost authority on warp core drives in the Federation."

Yeah, that was great and all… but Amanda didn't care about that.

She cared about her Son and his future happiness. Honestly, what mother wouldn't?

"Do you care for my son? Even just a little?"

Amanda waited patiently for the answer to the one question that would decide if she would show mercy or if James just might have an 'accident' with a particularly nasty native Vulcan beast. And, Amanda could make it look _very _convincing.

"Well-, I mean-, the thing is-," Jim fumbled unsurely, "It's complicated."

"I see," she stated calmly, and tried her best not to laugh. It was as if she were watching herself at this age. "Well, you are better than T'Pring if nothing else."

And she sincerely meant that. She had never liked the Vulcan hussy, and why Sarek thought T'Pring of all people would be a suitable choice, Amanda would never know. The Vulcan girl hadn't even liked Spock, and that did not sit well with his mother.

"It's not that I don't like your son. It's just that this is a big step, and I… have a hard time with the idea of staying in one place. Space travel, warp cores, and engines… those are my life."

That sounded like… excuse, excuse, bullshit, excuse. Well, alright then. Amanda made the decision that she had been allowed to run once. And, in running, Sarek had proved something that Amanda had not been willing to look at prior to his chasing her across that galaxy. So, in all fairness, James deserved the same chance.

Or, that was going to be what she told herself anyway.

"Then it would interest you to know that the Federation has already come to pick up your other crew members. My son received confirmation of their safe retrieval about two hours ago."

Technically, it had been closer to three, but who was going to call her on it? Sarek? Spock? Either scenario was _highly _unlikely. Amanda turned toward the door to hide her brilliant smile. This was going to be entertaining to watch. And, if by some unfortunate turn of events, James broke Spock's heart well…

Amanda had made a few… shall we say… 'friends' over the years.

And, she was prepared to use them if need be. But hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

"If you were to get to a local transport station… say right outside the Terran Embassy," Amanda stated casually for she knew James would take the bait, "you just might be able to catch up with them."

"So… you are just going to let me go?"

If only she could be that naïve again. Had she ever been that naïve? She didn't think so, but who knew?

"Oh no," Amanda said barely able to suppress her glee, "I'm giving you a thirty minute head start before I tell my son."

As the doors closed behind her, Amanda wondered if she had remembered to tell James that thirty minutes had included the time they were speaking.

Oh well, James would figure it out eventually. If nothing else, Spock would catch up with the Engineer sooner or later.

Amanda started to whistle as she walked down the hallway toward her husband and son.

Today was a good day.

Amanda sauntered steadily toward the main living area where Sarek was. Her grasp of the mental bond had improved over the years, and even though she was still a psi-null, Amanda could at least pin-point where her husband was.

Well, most of the time anyway.

Her now-greyed hair was tucked up tightly underneath a head garment that despite T'Pau's insistence, still itched like all get out. Amanda puffed her cheeks in an attempt to stifle a laugh that might have escaped otherwise. She grinned at the similarity between a younger her and this James. Amanda already credited herself with being a better mother-in-law than her own. Sometimes, Amanda amused herself with a private game of all the things that would be a better family member than T'Pau.

And, she was up to 87.

She rounded the corner into the main living area with a secret smile painted on her lips. Amanda walked steadily toward the replicator, practically glowing with mirth, and ordered her favorite herbal tea. Only lukewarm because Vulcan was still too damn hot, and she would never get used to _that_.

"I must inquire, _Aduna_, as to why your mind seems… entertained," Sarek's smooth voice vibrated through the room with ease.

Amanda cast him a sideways glance and delivered a similar look to her son, seated at the table with his Father. She knew that with their bond, Sarek was sometimes unable to read her thoughts as it where, but he could always understand her emotions. There were some downsides to being from different species, but they had taken it in stride and if asked, she had to say they were very happy about it.

No matter what T'Pau said.

She stole a glance at the clock nearby on the wall that told Vulcan time. An indulgent smile painted her lips.

"I will tell you in precisely 27 minutes," she responded evenly.

"I request clarification," Spock inquired stoically, "as to why you must wait for a designated interval of time Mother?"

Sometimes, he looked so much like a young Sarek that it made Amanda's heart throb painfully. They were also equally stubborn and she hoped James was ready for that part. It had crossed her mind to warn the other woman further, but a sadistic part of Amanda thought that first had experience was the only way to go. With that reaffirmation of her thoughts, she sipped the tea in mock salute to the young woman now fleeing deeper into the desert.

She could not stop the snort of laughter into her tea.

"I was not precise, I agreed not to tell you for another 26 minutes," she stated candidly.

It didn't surprise her when twin brows rose in stark curiosity. 'Let them wait,' she thought sagely. Personally, she was going to sit down and watch the front row seat to the show. The two Vulcans in the room exchanged a 'humans are illogical' look that Amanda knew all too well.

However, she refused to rise to the bait, and continued to calmly sip her beverage.

"Excuse me, I must see to James," Spock said starting to stand.

"Oh," Amanda said with false surprise, "she seemed very healthy…"

"That is acceptable," Spock responded as he headed for the hallway.

Sarek looked from his son to Amanda, and she could have sworn that the gears in his head were turning. She smiled at him widely and took another sip of her tea without batting an eyelash.

Sarek opened his mouth with hesitation. "James has vacated the premises, hasn't she?"

"Yep."

He pondered her reply for a moment before closing his mouth. He blinked down at the table once, and then looked back at Amanda.

'You did not attempt to stop her, did you?"

"Nope."

"Fascinating," he muttered softly.

Not really, it fell under 'damned hilarious'.

"May I inquire as to why?"

Amanda shrugged and placed the cup into the sink. "She was already half-way out the window-"

She watched his eyes widen to almost comical proportions.

"James also vacated through the window?"

She had been about to reply to the positive when Spock stormed through the room once more. His eyes flashed under the light and Amanda felt a knot of concern pool at the pit of her stomach. Well, this might be a tad different from her situation, but she suddenly hoped Spock didn't strangle James when he found her.

Huh, maybe she should calm him down?

"It is not my intention to illicit alarm, however, it would appear that James is missing from the bedchamber, and therefore logically, she was taken hostage by some unknown assailant."

"James was not taken my son," Sarek interrupted with a flawless mask of indifference, "I have been informed by you Mother that James has chosen to flee."

Amanda groaned internally, she would not have chosen to phrase it like _that._

Spock's entire confidence seemed to deflate suddenly. "Flee?"

"That is accurate, however, I bid you to examine the evidence that shortly after marriage your mother chose to flee me as well. Through the same window if I am not mistaken?" He raised a brow at Amanda how had the grace to flush.

Spock's dark eyes locked with Amanda's and she couldn't look away. He was using the Vulcan equivalent of 'puppy eyes'

Damn it!

Sarek continued on as if he weren't turning Spock's world upside down.

"I have come to the conclusion that this is a Human ritual."

Amanda nearly choked on air at his words. She would have called him on his utter miscalculation, but Spock was staring at her with those sad eyes and her mother sense sprang into action.

"Is this true, Mother?"

"…Yes?" Her eyes darted back to Sarek quickly.

"Fascinating," Spock said only half-paying attention, "then logically, I must retrieve her."

Before she could even tell him where to start, Spock had left the room so quickly Amanda could not have seen his vapor trail. She was left staring at Sarek, who seemed oddly proud of himself and she fought the urge to make a face at him.

"I believe that we will be seeing James shortly and she may take her place amongst the rest of the clan, do you not think so _Aduna?_"

Amanda shrugged softly.

"Don't ask me. Until he comes back he's your son," she replied as she exited the room.

She heard the confused tone that followed her out.

"That is illogical, he is always my son."

She agreed, in more ways than one.

OoOoOo

**Translations:**

**Tor ri estuhl Valdena!:** Do not touch the maiden!

**Adun:** Husband

**Aduna:** Wife

**Koon'ul **: Betrothal

**Kaisha:** Marriage


End file.
